If you don’t have the internal resources to create your own content, you may be tempted to hire a freelance copywriter, send him some instructions, and wait for the magical prose to arrive. However, that’s the worst decision you can make. Here’s what to do instead.

Start with your strategy.

There’s a reason it’s called “content marketing” instead of just “content writing.” Without a defined marketing strategy, you’re using the Field of Dreams approach—you’re hoping that if you write it, they will come. Unfortunately, the world wide web is far too crowded for you to make a mark like that.

Before a single word is written, you need to define your target audience and have a content strategist come up with the best way to reach them.

Your content strategist should move forward by answering these questions:

Who are you talking to?

What are their challenges and problems?

What do they need to know in order to get solutions?

What kind of messaging resonates best with them?

Which A/B tests will uncover the most important insights about them?

And, of course, talk to your content strategist carefully before committing to work with him. Ask him about some of his recent projects. Ask about the results he generated for his clients. Make sure he can walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. Otherwise, you could end up offering a user experience like this:

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